BATANGAS 1st District Representative Leandro Legarda Leviste today filed a resolution urging Congress to allocate ₱14 billion from its Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) or “bonuses” to fund food packs for disaster victims or rice for every Filipino family.
Leviste argued that operating expenses of Congress could be reduced to approximately ₱10 billion from the ₱23.89 billion 2026 MOOE budget of the House and the Senate, saving ₱14 billion, which could fund 28 million food packs or sacks of rice, or one food pack or sack of rice for every Filipino family. He argued that these expense cuts would be reasonable, considering that Congress’s budget increased 228% from ₱7.27 billion in 2017.
Leviste added that much of this MOOE is “liquidated by certification,” presenting cheques showing how members of the House get a basic MOOE of around ₱1 million per month for their office and other operating expenses with no receipts needed to support reimbursements. For 318 members over 12 months, this would be ₱3.82 billion, and a large portion of the remaining budget is allocated as so-called “bonuses.” Leviste said that based on his discussions with the House Committee on Accounts, at least ₱10 billion of the ₱18.58 billion House MOOE budget goes to unidentified uses. He estimated that a similar proportion could be saved from the MOOE of the Senate and the rest of Congress.
Leviste also cited the lack of transparency and equity in the allocation of MOOE. He noted that some members of Congress do not receive any “bonuses” or additional MOOE to argue that, if some members can perform their duties without additional MOOE, then there is no necessity for other members to get considerably more MOOE.
Considering the House already allocates part of its existing budget to relief or social aid programs, Leviste proposed that a larger portion of the House budget be allocated to this given the country’s disasters and economic crises.
He also proposed that the House and Senate release a detailed breakdown of the use of the MOOE budget or the amount received by individual members and adopt a more equitable allocation of MOOE among members, in proportion to the number of their constituents. He said these could help formulate reforms for the 2026 and 2027 budget and justify MOOE budgets moving forward.
Leviste has never accepted his own MOOE allocations or salary and has written to Congress to donate ₱12 million of his MOOE and ₱3 million of his salary for earthquake and typhoon victims. Leviste acknowledged that other members of the House may not appreciate his shedding light on these budgets, but that he is doing so in hopes that Congress will agree to allocate its additional MOOE budget to provide food packs for disaster victims or rice for every Filipino family.
